A symposium titled "Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Secondary-Metabolite Natural Products" is scheduled for the spring American Chemical Society National Meeting (Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry), to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, April 14-19, 1991. The symposium will be of interest to the National Institute of Health divisions of Infectious Diseases, General Medical Sciences, and the National Cancer Institute. Mass production of medicinal agents that are secondary-metabolite natural products or novel "natural products" brought about by genetic engineering (e.g., hybrid antibiotics) is enabled by a thorough understanding of biosynthetic and metabolic pathways which include detailed mechanistic studies with an emphasis on the stereochemical course of transformations. The specific aim of the symposium is to demonstrate the interaction between the fields of biotechnology and bio-organic chemistry. Biosynthesis and metabolism papers are often given, a few at a time, at national meetings. An organized symposium of sufficient size to reflect many man-years of scholarly research by top experts would serve the active scientists and tax-paying public better. A symposium covering both biosynthesis and metabolism of secondary-metabolite natural products would allow participants in both disciplines an opportunity to freely exchange ideas and possibly enter into collaborative research agreements which, before a symposium such as this, are not immediately obvious as the most efficient way to solve some problems. We have 21 well-known scientists committed to give papers and plan to run the symposium over two full days (4 sessions). Notable contributors include Dr. Heinz C. Floss, Dr. John M. Beale, Jr., Dr. John C. Vederas, Dr. Craig A. Townsend, Dr. Kenneth L. Rinehart, Dr. C. Richard Hutchinson, Dr. Geoffrey A. Cordell, and Dr. David T. Gibson. We intend to publish presented papers in a symposium volume after the conference.